15 Minutes...

...is all I'm budgeting for this entry. I've been meaning to update this thing for so long, and I've just been so busy. So now, between 12:45 and 1am Monday morning, 7 hours before my Composites test, I am updating.

I don't even know where to begin. It's not like a lot has changed or happened, but the things that have happened are significant. Spring Break was flat out one of the best experiences of my life. After Hurricane Katrina hit, I told myself that if I ever had the chance to make it down to New Orleans, I would. It may have taken more than 2 years, but I finally made it, and I have no regrets. Not only did I have a hand in building a few homes in Musicians' Village, but I met some amazing people (both from the area and elsewhere) that I plan on staying in touch with for a while. We're already looking forward to going down there in the summer, and I can't wait.

School's going alright, could always be better, but given the amount of work and time that I've had in which to do it in, I'd say I'm faring pretty well. It's shocking how one week can be laid back, and the next week, I've got barely enough time to sleep for a couple hours a night. And there's still another two semesters of this. Wonderful.

The weather is starting to get better, which is both good and bad. Good, because I'll be in a good mood all of the time as opposed to 90% of the time. Bad, because nothing will get done. Take today for example. I didn't really do anything until 1 in the afternoon, and that was just typing up notes from a plant visit that happened on the 16th. A little late, needless to say. Then I went for a relaxing run, and played ultimate frisbee for a couple hours, followed by dinner at Applebee's. And before I knew it, it was 10:30 and I was heading to the Engineering Building to study for my 7:45 exam.

Speaking of which, I should get some sleep. Typing on the bed is only encouraging my eyes to close further.

I'm Still Here

2 weeks. Wow. I wish I could say I'd been busy these past 14 days, but that'd be lying, and that's not what I'm about.

Today marks the third week of classes, and they're only getting more boring and frustrating. Which is fun, if you enjoy those things. Mondays are just awful for me. Curious? Here's my schedule:

[7:45-9:00] MSE 426
[9:10-10:00] ME 451
[11:30-12:20] ME 332
[4:10-5:30] ME 477
[7:00-9:50] ME 451 Lab

Now, if my math serves me right, and if that stupid Controls Lab lasts almost 3 hours, I think I qualify as having one of the longest days ever. So I've got that going for me, which is nice.

Seeing as how I've got 45 minutes til Fluids, maybe I'll go and study that some. Or pass out in the library.

2007: Some Same, Some Different

I don't want to jinx it, but 2007 is already off to a great start. Yes, this is the post where I look back at 2006 fondly and with such great interest. Well, not really. 2006 came and went, and I'm just ready for this year.

The Same:

• School. It just never ends. And to think, if everything had gone accordingly, I'd be graduating in May. Incredibly hard to believe that I'd actually be out in the real world. Terrifying. Once again, I've got a full course load this semester, with mind-numbing classes like Control Systems (ME 451), Fluid Mechanics (ME 332), Intro to Composite Materials (MSE 426), and Manufacturing Processes (ME 477). After a fairly average Fall semester, I'm just looking to keep my 3.0 and make it back to Toyota in May.
  

• The Detroit Lions. Unbelievable. Honestly, how do you close out a completely meaningless season with a win against a playoff bound Dallas Cowboys team and screw up your chance at the Number 1 pick? Hand it to the Lions to completely disappoint a city by winning. And son of a bitch, Matt Millen still has his job? If my boss ever tries firing me after 4 years of complete futility, I can't wait to play the Millen card.

The Different:

• Notice I only listed two things under the "Same" heading. I don't expect anything else from 2006 to carry over into 2007, which is both good and bad.

• A new, motivated me. That's right, I'm done with the unhealthy eating, staying up late for no reason at all, wasting time habits I've gotten too used to. Yes, I realize this sounds like every other idiot's New Year's resolutions, but these aren't resolutions. I'm actually going to do them.

• Making the most of everything. I definitely want to do more this year. More exploring, more risk taking, more trips, more aimlessly comforting nights, more photography, more doing the things I want to do, more everything.

I'm done. Happy New Year to you all- don't let anything get in your way in 2007.

It's Never Been This Bad

I really don't know if it's just September, or school, or just the general way things have been going, but life has sucked an awful lot lately.

First off, school just keeps getting worse. The really terrible part of it all is that I know what I need to know to get a job after I graduate, and the things that I'm learning don't apply. So of course my interest in class has taken a hit, which leads to poor study habits and even poorer grades. So far I've been able to steer clear of that last one, but it's only a matter of time. I can honestly say that the past month here has been about as bad as it's ever been. I just want to graduate and get the hell out of East Lansing and Michigan.

Second, the weather has been downright crummy. It's been cold, rainy, and just bitter. It seems to match the moods of most students though, so I guess it's alright. I'm still hoping for those cool autumn days, the ones where you can walk on campus in a comfortable jacket and your favorite pair of jeans and just breathe in that fresh air without having to hunker down and avoid the cutting winds.

And finally, what happened to my friends? I mean, I know I only had a few to begin with, but I haven't talked to anyone. The better way to put it is that no one has talked to me. Every so often I think about going on Facebook and deleting all the would be "friends," the ones that I've messaged just to say hi but haven't even heard from. Or even the ones that I've never met but only added me because I look like someone they know, or I found their wallet, or because we have a lot of the same "friends" in common. Ridiculous. All I know is that the only friends I need are the ones that have been by my side, not the ones who I hang out with a few times and say, "We're going to have a blast hanging out in the future." There is no future, stop with the lies. It's all just a reminder of those middle school and high school yearbooks: "K.I.T., Let's hang out over the summer, You better give me a call!" Bullshit.

If I could snap my fingers and go to any place in time, it'd be May 2008. I'm ready to get out of here and move on.

Man, School Sucks

Seriously, it's taken me nearly two weeks to really, really, truely realize this fact. Besides the amazing boredom surrounding all of my classes, nothing else is new, really just the same old.

I still feel out of place walking around campus, riding the bus to class, sitting in a desk and taking notes (or drawing, depending on how bored I've gotten). I still haven't started my full schedule, and this week will be the easiest week I've ever had at Michigan State. No class on Monday, nothing doing on Tuesday, 4 classes on Wednesday, no lab tomorrow, and 2 more classes on Friday. I better enjoy this free time while I can, because before I know it, I'll be spending more than enough time in the Engineering Building- that I'm not looking forward to.

I'm getting back to working out on a regular basis, and I'm definitely starting to feel better, both mentally and physically. There's something about running that just helps me clear my head. Plus, God knows there's enough motivation (wink wink) around here to pick up the pace and sprint like an idiot that doesn't know his body is about to die on him.